Gypsum industry news

Turkey: The winners of the Global Gypsum Awards 2012 have been announced at the Global Gypsum Conference and Exhibition 2012, taking place on 16-17 October 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey. Over 300 delegates and 50 exhibitors attended the conference.

Global Gypsum Plant of the Year was awarded to SaintGobain Rigips' Brieselang plant in Germany. Global Gypsum Personality of the Year was awarded to Jörg Bold of Bold-Technoconsult. Global Gypsum Supplier of the Year was awarded to WTW Americas. Global Gypsum Company of the Year was awarded to Knauf Gips KG. Isabel Knauf accepted the award on behalf of Knauf, while Knauf also won the Global Gypsum Product of the Year for its Safeboard X-ray resistant product. The ceremony took place at the Binbirdirek Cistern, a 1500 year old structure dating back to the Byzantine Empire.

The organisers also announced that the Global Gypsum Conference and Ceremony 2013 will take place in Toronto, Canada.

Image 1: Isabel Knauf accepting Global Gypsum Company of the Year for Knauf Gips KG at the Global Gypsum Awards 2012

Image 2: Global Gypsum Supplier of the Year was awarded to WTW Americas

Image 3: Bob Bruce, Innogyps, presenting at the Global Gypsum Conference & Exhibition 2012

Bulgaria: Bulgarian building materials maker Gips has launched a Euro8m factory for the calcination of natural gypsum in the north-western province of Vidin. Company officials announced that the new factory has a capacity of 80,000t/yr and has improved energy efficiency by 38% compared to the old factory.

Bulgarian construction company Montagengineering built the plant and the equipment was supplied by Germany's Claudius Peters Projects. The project was co-financed with Euro1.8m from the European Union funded operational program 'Competitiveness' while Gips provided the remainder from own funds.

Gips, Bulgaria's sole producer of natural gypsum, was set up in 1965. It intends to boost its exports, as it currently sells some 90% of its output on the domestic market according to its executive director Plamen Vassilev. The company currently exports to Serbia and is considering entering the Romanian market. The new factory and the company's nearby gypsum mine employ a total of 224 people.

UAE: Gyproc Middle East has launched a new wallboard that actively removes volatile organic compounds (VOC) from the air in indoor environments. Activ'Air board incorporates a mineral-based additive into its gypsum core that captures VOCs such as toxic formaldehyde and converts them into harmless inert aldehydes.

"Initial discussions with building owners and developers have shown there is already significant interest for these products in the education and healthcare sectors," said technical development manager Jason Hird. Gyproc Middle East is marketing the product as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional powered air filters. The new technology is available across a range of existing Gyproc products.

US: From the start of 2013 Progress Energy Florida has contracted to sell its entire output of synthetic gypsum produced at its Crystal River Energy Complex in Florida to United States Gypsum (USG).

Crystal River 4 and Crystal River 5, the two newest coat burners at the energy complex, produce 450,000t/yr of synthetic gypsum. Scrubbers were added to Crystal River plants 4 and 5 in 2009 and early 2010. Currently the byproduct is sold for use in making wallboard, cement and fertiliser.

A conveyor belt will be constructed to move the material from the Crystal River power complex to USG's adjacent property. USG purchased the 72ha site in 2011. It announced at the time it would be a storage facility to warehouse synthetic gypsum from the power plants.

Spokesman Scott Sutton from Duke Energy, owner of Progress Energy, emphasised that contract is for USG to take the synthetic gypsum to their property and store it until they ship it or use it. "One customer will remove it all; if we produce more they will have to take it and we have to produce a certain amount. It is a good deal for both of us."

"It is still pretty early in the process yet," said USG spokesman Bob Williams, referring to the plans for the Crystal River property. "It has gone beyond the design stage but construction has not started yet. It is not expected to be complete until sometime in 2013." He added that Crystal River will only be a transfer site and USG has no near-term plans to build a manufacturing plant at the site.

US: USG Corporation (USG) has announced the election of Matthew Carter Jr. to its board of directors. Carter will serve on the Audit and Governance committees of the USG board of directors. With his addition, USG's board now includes nine independent directors.

Carter is President, Sprint Global Wholesale & Emerging Solutions at Sprint Nextel Corporation. His leadership and experience spans more than 20 years across diverse industries with major companies such as Bristol Myers, Coca-Cola and Leap Wireless. Heavily involved in the telecommunications sector through his career, Carter holds a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and a master of business administration from Harvard Business School.

"We are pleased to welcome Matt Carter to our board," said Jim Metcalf, chairman of the board, president and CEO of USG Corporation. "His history of leadership, vision, innovation and business transformation will be valuable assets as USG continues to create its own recovery and emerge as a stronger company."